My New Bodyguard
by mangaluva09
Summary: Darien is a lonely king who only has ninja bodyguards for company.  What happens when the most talented ninja in the country joins his bodyguards? Check it out  please review if you do.
1. I'm Looking for a New Bodyguard

**My New Bodyguard**

Author's Note: I must give credit to Miss Rinko Ueda as well. Her wonderful manga called _Tail of the Moon _inspired me to write this story. Although this story is nothing like her manga at all in terms of settings and characters, I just thought – wouldn't it be cool to do a ninja story? Anyway, I suggest that you take a look at her series – it's a very lovely manga, plus the main character's name is also Usagi! It's a "romantic ninja" story if you want the genre, check it out if you haven't already. Here's some of the usual bureaucratic stuff: of course I do not own Sailor Moon, but a few of the original characters are mine. As for my story, well it's told from Darien's perspective – I hope that you like it (his thoughts are in italics). Here we go:

**Chapter One: I'm Looking for a New Bodyguard**

"Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, our beloved king of Crystal Tokyo, Darien Shields."

Once I heard my name called, I got up from my comfortable chair, ready to address my people. I try to keep them updated on the affairs of the kingdom as much as I can. I really love my people, and I guess they seem to love me. Every once in a while at these press conferences, I will see a few young women holding up signs that read 'I love you Darien' – complete with a few large pink hearts. It's pretty flattering – but it doesn't exactly scream 'wife material' much to their dismay. _Well, it's show time._

I walked outside of the elaborate white and gold double doors and onto the tall balcony, which was positioned towards the front of my palace – over my gate, and about 15 feet above my loyal subjects. Two large screens – one on either side of me were displaying my image as I waved and smiled at my subjects.

"Hello citizens of Crystal Tokyo." I called out to my people, who cheered and applauded. "As you all might have heard by now – the reason that I called you out here is that unfortunately one of my body guards was killed in a car accident this past weekend. I'm looking for a new bodyguard. If you think that you can fill that post, please feel free to sign up with the attendants outside if you are interested in the position. Of course you know that in order to be eligible for the position – you must be a fully qualified ninja. Your credentials and proper qualification will be tested if we decided that you are suitable for the job. There is also a ball to be given in my fallen bodyguard's honor this Saturday at the palace, so be sure to come in your fanciest attire. He would have wanted us to celebrate his life instead of morn his death, and that is the best way that I thought we could do it."

Cheers erupted from the crowd. I waved to my people once more, said my goodbyes, and went to my chambers. The loss of my bodyguard was too much for me to handle. _When I'm in front of a crowd, I can act like I'm fine – but it's all an act._ His name as Henry, and he had been one of my best friends. Despite the fact that I'm a popular king, whom my subjects seem to love and adore – I'm a very lonely man. My parents died when I was six years old from a severe illness, and that same year I rose to take the throne. Growing up, I envied my subjects – I would stare longingly at the children, wishing that I could run around and play; I even wished that I had parents who would nag at me and I would often smile when a mother would scold her son for doing something that she deemed to be inappropriate. From the day that my parents died on, I had to take responsibility for the whole kingdom. I never really got to play much – or really have a childhood for that matter. My servants seemed to be just that around me – there to serve, not to entertain me or even attempt to become friends, most of them were there for either my protection, or to teach me skills that I would need in the future. Most of my servants would not even bother to speak to me if I was not using their services; the only people who would even bother were my bodyguards. Over the years I've made great friends with my bodyguards – since they have always been a constant presence in my life – ever since I was six. My bodyguards – unlike any of my other servants, always seemed to care about my life. When I was younger, they would use their ninja skills to entertain me – they would do acrobatics, or demonstrate their powers by throwing ninja stars, and leaping from wall to wall with such ease and skill. I admired them as much as I considered them to be my friends back then – and I still do to this day.

I just wish sometimes that I had someone else to talk to because I'm 27 years old, and I've never been in love. I've always thrown royal balls towards the end of the year – partially to let my subjects have a little fun and relax after a stress free year. Secretly though, I always hope that I might find someone special among the women who come to the ball – but I never have any luck. The women of the court don't really strike my fancy. Some only like to talk about themselves – how rich their fathers are, how expensive the dress that they bought for the day are, and how beautiful they look today. They are so artificial, there's no substance there. I realize that they're beautiful; but I want someone who doesn't have to put on a mask every morning – and that's all there is to her. I want to see the woman behind the mask, someone who is intelligent, caring, and sweet. So far though it seems as if my search for the perfect woman has been impossible for the most part.

"Sire." One of my bodyguards appeared in front of me, bowing and holding a piece of paper out towards me.

"Thank you Malachite." I said to him with a smile, taking the slip of paper from him, "you may stand up now – there's no need to be so formal with me anyway. You do remember that we are friends right?"

"Most of the applicants were under qualified – I took the liberty of eliminating the ones that were less than par."

I glanced at the piece of paper and one name towards the middle of the list really stood out to me. I stared at it, and my eyes widened. "Sergio…" I whispered mostly to myself.

"Excuse me sire?"

"Somehow we were able to get Sergio to apply for the job."

"I'm sorry, but I am unfamiliar with that name sire." Malachite said to me, staring at me with his steely blue eyes.

"I'm not too surprised. Maybe Sergio is only famous in the courts. He has ninja powers that most average people have never seen before. He is not only agile, but also intelligent – and can move quickly through grass without disturbing a single blade. Sergio is of course from the Tuskino clan – I'm sure that you're well aware of their legacy Malachite."

"Yes sire, they are legends – especially within the ninja schools. But I never knew that they had a son named Sergio."

"Well Sergio is very skilled – I would like to interview him personally if you would not mind Malachite."

"As you wish my lord. When shall I require for him to come in?"

"Tomorrow morning would be the best."

With that Malachite bowed and left, leaving me to ponder the fact that Sergio Tsukino would be coming into my employment very soon. I already knew that I was going to hire him – but I still wanted to meet him, since I do always end up developing a close relationship with my bodyguards. I always start the getting to know each other process early. _It would really be an honor to get to know this Sergio Tsukino – learn all about his family life, what it would be like living in the Tsukino household. I've always heard that the Tsukinos are a loving family who treat all of their children so kindly – they are one of the most envied families in all of Crystal Tokyo. Caring and loving parents, and the entire family is composed of well-trained and quick to learn ninjas. This should be the start of a beautiful relationship._

Author's endnote: Hmmm, will Darien really end up having a nice relationship with Sergio Tsukino – or will he be a little shocked by his disposition? Please read and review – I know that it's not the greatest start, but I promise it's going to be better than this initial chapter. See you later.


	2. Meeting Sergio

Author's note: Thanks to all of my reviewers: sailor lunakitty (very adorable name by the way), sousie, and Edens-MoonlightAngel. I love and appreciate reviews – glad to know that someone's actually reading and enjoying my story. But once again if you have any questions/comments or whatever – give me a review or e-mail me. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I forgot to mention this before – I rated it M because later on the story will get more graphic and the characters will be swearing – per usual. I'm going to tell you right now that the villain in this story is not who you would normally expect. I wanted to have some fun and use a villain who I haven't really seen much in the fan fiction and I think that it's about time that she got her dues. One more note before I get going – in this chapter there is mention of Japanese bathhouses. From my knowledge about them (which is decent I guess - I'd like to hope that I've seen enough anime/read enough manga to figure it out), for the most part they're single-sexed and communal bathhouses – so hopefully you don't get the wrong idea when I mention the bathhouses later in this chapter - i.e. Darien's not gay (and also correct me if I'm wrong on some of the details). Darien's thoughts are still in _italics_ by the way. All right enough of my jabber – I don't own Sailor Moon but you knew that already, back to the story.

**Chapter Two: Meeting Sergio**

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and eager to meet my new bodyguard. I got up, took a shower and put on some of my favorite cologne since I was feeling pretty good about the outcome of this morning's meeting with Sergio – even though it had yet to happen. After I finished dressing, I received a knock on my door.

"You may enter." I said, while buttoning the last button on my dress shirt and giving myself a last glance in the mirror. I might be king, but I don't like to brag about it or show off too much in front of my subjects. I really consider it to be rude and disgusting when members of the court do that to other people.

"Your highness." Malachite's voice echoed into my room as I noticed him standing at the entrance to my room out of the corner of my eye. "Sergio Tsukino arrived at the palace at around 4:30 this morning."

I spun around quickly at the mention of my new bodyguard. I had yet to meet him, and already he was capturing my attention. "Wow he's quick isn't he? And an early bird at that – he's already exceeding my expectations."

"Yes my lord, and from what I've seen so far of him today – I am very pleased. We gave him the hardest trial run for ninjas – and he passed it with flying colors, beyond anyone's expectations. You weren't kidding when you said that Sergio was the best my lord."

"I'm glad that you have confidence in him Malachite. I would have been quite embarrassed if he hadn't succeeded to impress you. So where is my newest bodyguard Malachite?"

"He's getting his official uniform from the tailor sire. I think that Sergio will be up here any…."

Before Malachite could even finish his sentence – a young man was in front of my face, on the ground bowing. "Your highness it is an honor to be in your presence." The young man said. "I am Sergio of the Tsukino clan. My family thinks that working for you is the highest honor that a ninja could ever possibly have. I hope that I can please both you and my family, I will not let you down sire and that is a promise." Sergio was a small man – he was short, maybe about 5 feet in height and he had the frame of a young boy. His voice was a bit high pitched – almost feminine sounding, but I dismissed that idea since I had known before I hired him that Sergio was supposedly a young man. Still, I was beyond shocked to see that this petit man was one of the most skilled ninjas in all of Japan. _Maybe being small is part of his advantage. _He was wearing the usual attire of a fully qualified ninja – the Shinobi Shozoku, complete with hood, socks, and tabi boots. His outfit was medium blue in color, which represented the Tsukino clan; my guess is that he was so excited to meet me that he didn't bother changing into his uniform, which I did not mind.

"Sergio – you really don't have to bow, it's not necessary."

Sergio looked up at me with a curious stare, and for the first time I noticed that he had crystal blue eyes, which seemed to dance behind his mask – which covered every other part of his face. There was another thing that I remembered about the Tsukino clan; all of the members of their family were blonde with blue eyes – which also helped them to stand out within the ninja world. The mask was quite interesting to me as well – since I had not seen one of those in a long time. Most of the time you only wore a mask if you were on a mission – trying to be undetected. _But why does Sergio feel the need to wear the mask in front of me? I could ask him but I don't want to offend him, it might be a Tsukino family tradition. I hope that he won't be mad since our uniforms don't come with masks. _I was so excited about being around Sergio and getting to know more about him – that I almost completely ignored his next words.

"Sire, I must bow before you – otherwise I am not showing you respect. It is proper for a ninja to show his master or employer respect – part of tradition you know."

"Well I'm asking you as your employer to not bow in my presence Sergio. You see I like to think of my bodyguards as my friends, not servants. That's why it's not necessary to bow in my presence – I would love to think of all my staff as equals, but most will not have it. My bodyguards are my closest friends, they practically raised me into the man that I am today – and I would like to treat you as a friend Sergio. I've been trying for the longest time to get my bodyguards to call me by my first name instead of addressing me with all of these formalities, but no one ever does. I don't want to seem like some asshole of a king who's so power hungry that he mistreats or degrades his subjects."

Sergio got up hesitantly from the floor; it was clear that he was unsure as to whether he should still be bowing or standing as I had asked. "Excuse me sire, but I am confused as to what you would like me to do. You want me to be your friend as well as protect your person from enemies?"

"That is correct Sergio. I would like to get to know you – know more about you, I can see us becoming close friends. I'm good friends with all of my bodyguards. Isn't that right Malachite?"

"It's very true my lord. I will leave you two now to get to know one another better. Good day to you both, and welcome to the team Sergio. After your meeting with the king you will be briefed about your duty."

"Goodbye Malachite."

Sergio just looked at Malachite and gave him a silent salute with his right hand, which I could tell that Malachite accepted by giving Sergio a curt nod. I might have been imagining things, but it almost seemed as if Sergio was nervous to be left alone with me. I went to one of the comfortable plush chairs in my room and sat in it, and motioned for Sergio to sit next to me. He did so, and stared at me from behind the mask of his ninja attire. _That mask is still bothering me…_

"You know – you don't have to wear the mask anymore Sergio."

"Please excuse me sire but I feel more comfortable wearing it for now."

"Oh that's fine do as you please. So I wanted to get to know more about you and your family. There are so many questions that I have Sergio. I would love to know what it was like to grow up in a ninja household – living under the same roof with some of the greatest ninjas in Japan – maybe even the world."

"I will tell you anything that you would like to know sire."

"Well my first question would be why did you apply for this job? No member of the Tsukino clan has even written a letter to me – much less ventured near the palace."

"Ah – you are wrong about that sire. The Tsukino clan has always admired your lordship and the way that you rule Crystal Tokyo. We have always come to your events, although most of the time it's been in disguise. As you probably already know – my brother Andrew is the master of disguise."

"Yes, true I did forget about Andrew."

"We have always wanted to work for you, your highness. Andrew was injured and is now out of commission – unfortunately he cannot perform ninja duties anymore. But I will not bore you with the details of it sire."

"If you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to Sergio." I said, giving him my best warm and friendly smile. Sergio's crystal blue eyes widened from behind the mask – _could I have possibly embarrassed him? Nah of course not, why would such a remark and a smile bother a great and powerful ninja._

"Thank you my lord." Sergio whispered softly, "it's just that it's been so hard on my family."

"Well what about your other family members?"

"Oh right." Sergio said, he looked like he was contemplating telling me what happened to Andrew or not – then decided to chat about the rest of his siblings. "My other brother Jadeite was going to fill out the form when he heard that you had a spot open for a bodyguard a few years ago, but he was called out on a secret mission given to him by my grandfather – the current leader of our clan, and had to accomplish that first. Now Jadeite is unable to apply for this job since he has a wife and many children that he must train. Of course my parents would have applied for the job – but that idea was scrapped once Jadeite had children. Mom and dad wanted to help him and his wife, Amy around the house since Jadeite ended up having seven children – septuplets. It must be hard for him and Amy, having seven babies and careers on top of that."

"Seven children simultaneously? Incredible! Excuse me for the interruption Sergio, continue on." I couldn't even fathom what that would be like – and I automatically felt sympathy for Amy. _I'll have to remember to send them a present or a care package or something, maybe even pull a few strings to see if they can give Amy some free reconstructive surgery – because seven kids simultaneously probably did a number on her belly._

"Mom and dad also want to perform their traditional duties – by giving out missions to their grandchildren once the babies are old enough to start training to qualify for their ninja liscenses – that is to say if being a ninja is their calling. In our family it's expected but there are a few people in my family line that were never ninja at all."

"Sounds like you have very loving parents." I said, smiling at Sergio, "I'm glad that we're having a conversation like this though Sergio, please tell me more."

"If that is what you wish my lord." Sergio said and his eyes lit up – almost as if he was smiling underneath the mask. "Then there's my sister Mina – she also wanted the job this time, but her skills are not as up to par unfortunately, and I don't think that her fiancé would have liked the idea of her being one of the close bodyguards of the king since she's so beautiful and all." Sergio said with a sigh.

"Not that you can't trust beautiful women around me." I joked heartily, "I might be single but it's not like I'm a womanizer or anything."

"Oh we know that you're not a player or anything sire – it's just that knowing Mina she would probably throw herself at you. Sometimes she can get a bit wild if you know what I mean."

"What about your other sister Sergio?"

"Other sister? I don't know what you're talking about." Sergio said, his eyes were widening once again – he seemed to be in a panic when I mentioned the other sister, because I noticed that when I mentioned her – he had this small nervous twitch in his leg. While I talked to him about his sister – his leg continued to twitch. "Excuse me – but you must be mistaken your highness because I don't have another sister, just Mina."

I looked at him in shock. _I could have sworn that the Tsukino clan had five children, Andrew, Jadeite, Sergio, Mina, and another girl whose name I can't remember. _"Well you know your family better than I do Sergio."

Sergio seemed to be a bit relieved after that, and we continued to make small talk for a while until there was a knock on the door. "Excuse me" I told Sergio as I went towards the door and said, "please enter."

"Lunch is ready your highness." A female voice replied loudly from behind the door. My female servants other than the very few female bodyguards that I had had in the past never dared to enter my room, it was almost as if it was some sort of taboo to do so.

"Thank you Lita." I told her and turned around to face Sergio. "It seems as if lunch is ready. Would you care to join me for lunch Sergio?"

"If that is what you wish sire. I will guard you while you eat your food."

I let out a little laugh, which seemed to surprise him, "no Sergio – I meant would you like to eat with me?"

"Of course your highness, I would be delighted to dine in your company." Sergio quipped and in about a second he had jumped up from his chair, practically glided in the air from the place where he had sat to the walls, and bounced off the different walls until he reached the door and opened it for me.

"You're too kind Sergio – thank you."

"No problem your grace." Sergio said with a low bow towards me.

"Like I said before Sergio, you really don't have to bow in my presence, and how about instead of addressing me with the various honors that you just call me Darien? I know that it's a bit sooner than I ask most of my bodyguards, but I've really taken a liking to you Sergio, and I think that we could be close friends. What do you think?"

"I could never sir – it would be against the oath, and not polite at all."

"Who needs silly little gestures like being polite when you're among friends? Come on now Sergio, I want you to think of me as one of your buddies, someone that you would normally hang out with. I really hate being stiffly addressed as 'your highness' and everything else, I'm just plain old Darien – who happens to be king of Crystal Tokyo and that's all anyone really needs to know."

"All right…D-D-D-D-D-Darien." Sergio eventually sputtered out my name and I gave him a smile.

"Great. Now let's go eat Sergio, I'm starving."

Sergio let out a cheerful laugh, "so am I D-D-D-Darien, so am I."

We walked out of my room and took the long way down the hall to the kitchen. Sergio from time to time would use his powers of invisibility and walk beside me, or would sometimes cling to the walls watching from above and then quickly drift to the next wall while still invisible. _Sergio really does take his job seriously – security must be his number one priority._ We made it to the dining room, safe and sound (I didn't expect there to be any attack within my own palace but you never know) and Sergio, the other bodyguards and I all sat down at a long table, ready to devour the feast that was in front of us. Malachite was sitting on my left while Sergio was on my right. Before we ate, I made the traditional tribute to the previous fallen bodyguard – and declared that this meal would be for him. Then Malachite introduced Sergio to the rest of my bodyguard team, and they greeted him with warm smiles and shouts. Immediately afterwards we started eating the delicious meal that the kitchens had so delicately prepared.

Suddenly a loud burst of feminine laughter entered the dining room, echoing around the walls and into our ears. My bodyguards immediately surrounded me, interestingly enough though – I could not find Sergio anywhere, my guess was that he had become invisible and was somewhere nearby. As soon as the laughter ended, all of the crystal windows shattered into pieces and in floated (yes I said floated) one of the last people that I wanted to see on such a great day – the ninja princess Nehellenia still laughing as she landed onto the dining room table. Ninja stars, swords, sticks, and every weapon imaginable were all pointed in her direction – ready to be used in case she decided to make a move. "Why hello King Darien. How are you on this lovely day darling? Are you surprised to see me? Seems like all of your little friends aren't happy that I'm here. What's wrong…don't you love me?" She said as she blew me a kiss.

Anger was tensing up in my body, I wanted to leap up and deal with her myself despite the fact that I knew it was a bad idea; Nehellenia had been a problem from the first day that we had met when I was four years old. She had a ninja father who married a foreign queen, and thus became a ninja princess. Nehellenia was very gifted in the martial arts and had also mastered the ability to fly or float whenever she wanted to. Ever since we were little it was clear to me that she was after my crown and me. Although it's always been obvious to me that she's more interested in the crown than being with me. If I ever went crazy and decided to marry her – she would probably kill me right after the reception (she would want to have the reception in order to get all of the gifts). Many of the members of the court, whom I've casually mentioned this to in conversation don't believe me, even after I told them about some of the many things that she's said to me in the past including, "you'd make a nice trophy to go along with my pretty crown. I would enjoy having a nice plaything – a doll if you will to go along with my new country. Why can't I rule your world – I mean why can't we rule Crystal Tokyo together luvie? I think that it would be splendid." Throughout the long years that we had known each other, Nehellenia has always made a desperate attempt for me to fall in love with her. I can still remember my sixteenth birthday when she came to the party that my bodyguards had thrown for me, she didn't take her eyes off of me for one second and followed me around like a puppy. She even refused to let the kitchen staff prepare my food – insisting that she make it herself, and later thanks to Henry (bless his soul) I found out the reason why. Nehellenia had made a love potion and put it into my food, hoping that that would be the day where I miraculously fell in love with her. Thankfully my bodyguards had always been weary of her, and through them I learned to be as well. Now she was floating right above me, and although my bodyguards were protectively surrounding me, she was still too close to my comfort.

"Darien love, it's been such a long time – we haven't seen each other in a couple of years. I had been off in France helping my mother with some sort of political nonsense, and the whole entire time I couldn't think of anything else but you. I had to see you the minute that I got back. So here I am. I see that you've prepared a lovely feast for me." She said as she got closer to the table where earlier a happy meal was occurring and ripped off a leg from the chicken that was set towards my end of the table. "I'm glad that the chefs remember my exquisite tastes as well." She said as she took a bite into the chicken, and let her eyes wander – then linger over the lobster, which was right in front of my seat. "Mmm, maybe just a bite of this as well…" Nehellenia said, but as she reached over to grab some lobster, Malachite pulled out a ninja star and flung it, and if Nehellenia didn't have such quick reflexes, she would have had a nice little trophy to show her parents once she fled home from my kingdom – and it wouldn't be my crown. "How dare you!" She spat at Malachite, who let out a little chuckle.

He whispered through the side of his mouth, "it's too bad that I didn't get her though it would've been nice to see how the princess enjoyed my present sire." I laughed a bit at this but quickly regained my composure in order to talk to Nehellenia.

"What do you want this time? I'm in no mood to play your games tonight Nehellenia."

"Games…darling I have no idea what you mean. I don't play games – I'm not that kind of women. I think that I'm more like a huntress, trying to catch her prey." She purred at me, her cat-like eyes seemed to dance in the light. Suddenly she looked up, and was looking around the room in a state of confusion. _What the hell is going on – why is she acting like that?_ Then Nehellenia looked at me, a cold and daunting look, "tell me Darien have you been seeing another woman?" She accused her words coming out in a low hiss. "It smells like a woman has been in here – you know what I told you in the past beloved…if another woman even comes near you I will kill her! Either that or I will make sure that her life is a living hell, by the time that I'm done with whatever bitch has been in this room she'll never even want to breathe the same air as you again."

I really don't like admitting this, but Nehellenia is another reason as to why I'm so lonely. I'm afraid of getting too close to a woman. The possibilities are endless as to what she would do if she found out that I had a significant other – what if one day my bodyguards weren't around and she found a way to deceive my wife, or worse? I could never rule that out since Nehellenia is a skilled ninja, she only makes bold grand entrances such as this every once in a while. Most of the time she sneaks into the palace and I'm lucky to have my bodyguards around most of the time.

Nehellenia looked to be extremely pissed off at this point and getting angrier by the minute as she quickly flew around the room looking for another woman. It was odd, but she had the ability to catch the smell of another woman – which also didn't help my situation much. "Where is she? Where is this whore who dares touch my Darien? I'm going to find her and when I do…" four katana swords appeared quickly – almost like magic into her hands and she was about to throw them at my bodyguards and myself when I noticed a knife pressed against her throat.

"Don't move or I will cut off your head as quickly and as easily as a stick of bamboo." A voice said – and immediately I knew that it was Sergio. He re-appeared from his state of invisibility, and he too was floating in the air – now I was really impressed. _I didn't know that Sergio could do that, the art of floating is lost among most ninjas, I thought that only Nehellenia could do it – incredible._ "Now drop your weapons." Nehellenia did as she was told. "I want you to get out of here as quickly as possible and leave my friend Darien alone." Sergio yelled at her.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes…" Nehellenia whimpered, "please don't kill me."

"I won't today – but if I ever see your face again, don't expect to live for much longer. I could give less of a shit that you're a princess or the daughter of a very famous and well-respected ninja. Leave the king – our king of Crystal Tokyo alone. Got it?" Sergio said as he let go, and Nehellenia turned slightly to face him. The look on her face immediately changed from fear to one of understanding. _Does she know something that I don't know? Have Sergio and her met before? What is with that look?_

"I got it." She purred, resuming the former control and posture that she had had before. "I'm sorry to bother you your highness" she said, giving me a low bow. "Hmmm, so little one is this death threat of yours still applicable if I tell his highness and his boy toys your little secret?"

"Fuck off bitch, you don't know a damned thing about me!" Sergio said to her in a low growl.

Nehellenia let out a chuckle, "oh but I do…well I think that his highness will figure it out eventually. But if he doesn't, well who am I not to share gossip with a fellow member of the court?" Nehellenia roared with laughter, turned to me and blew me a little kiss, "nice seeing you again your highness…goodbye" she said. With that Nehellenia spun around in circles until she vanished with a 'pop' noise and left black and gold rose petals all over the dining room floor. My bodyguards got out of their tight clump around me and Sergio landed gracefully beside them. His sad blue eyes seemed to scan the floor; it almost looked as if he was trying to prevent himself from crying. _If only I could know what he's thinking right now…I wonder why he's so sad._

Everyone else seemed to be celebrating the fact that Sergio had vanquished Nehellenia – if only temporarily. Malachite grabbed a glass that he had filled with the sake from tonight's meal and decided to make another toast. "Three cheers for Sergio for casting out the bitch!"

The cheers were load and uproarious – but Sergio didn't seem to want to join in the fun. _Maybe I should talk to him about all of this. _I lightly touched Sergio who had resumed his place in his seat next to me. "May I have a private word with you in my chambers Sergio?" He nodded, still looking sad and forlorn. "Continue to eat and drink well my friends!" I told my bodyguards, to which they all cheered. I motioned for Sergio to join me and the two of us went to my room. Once I closed the doors behind us I told Sergio, "sit down please." He looked at me and sat down unhappily, I sat down in my usual chair, and studied him for a minute. "Great job in dealing with Nehellenia today."

"Thank you sire, I mean D-D-D-Darien."

I smiled at him. "Listen Sergio I don't want to interrogate you about your secret, I don't think that it's my place. I just want to know that I'm also here to support you if you need me – and if you ever want to tell me your secret then it's safe with me."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that D…Darien, but thank you." Sergio said, a small smile was starting to show through his mask.

"So are you ever going to take that hood off – a few of my bodyguards have mentioned that they would like to see your face, as a way to get to know you better and such. They want to see the man behind the mask so to speak."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that D…Darien, I was actually going to ask you if my uniform could come with a hood. For personal reasons I don't really want to show my face."

_Why would he not want to show his face, I really don't get it. Only ninja in the golden years wore hoods in order to mask their identities. Nowadays everyone knows who the ninja are – and for the most part what they look like, so there's no need for hoods. Come to think about it, I've never seen a picture of Sergio myself, I wonder why._

"Is it because of some kind of scar that you have on your face? If so Sergio – we really don't care about appearances here."

"No it's not that…." Sergio said his eyes looking towards the floor.

"Well that's fine by me – I won't question it anymore. I'm going to go to the bathhouses now to take a nice bath. Would you care to join me? Malachite and some of the others should be in there a bit later."

Sergio seemed to be either appalled or stunned by the idea that I would even ask him, "n-n-no thank you D-D-D-Darien. I t-t-t-take morning b-b-b-b-baths." He stuttered, which by now I guessed was a nervous habit for him whenever someone made him uncomfortable.

"Oh I understand…well then, I guess I will see you tomorrow." I told him, as I gathered my things for the baths, and started to disrobe in the room. I don't usually think much of this – unless there is a woman in the room, since I feel that it's inappropriate to disrobe in front of a woman who you're not in a relationship with. I turned around to wave goodbye and noticed that Sergio was looking in the other direction, his body in the opposite direction. I grabbed the towel to cover myself and said, "uh – you can leave now if you'd like Sergio."

"Yes…I-I-I-I knew that D….Darien, don't worry, I d-d-d-didn't see anything." Sergio said as he practically ran out of the room and closed the door as quickly but quietly as he could.

_What an interesting fellow he is. _I went to take a shower before I got to my private bathhouse, shared by some of my closest bodyguards and me. I decided to dwell on it more while I was in the baths relaxing. The day had been pretty stressful and I was looking forward to a nice steaming hot bath and my wonderfully comfortable bed.


	3. The Doppelgangers

Author's note: I don't own Sailor Moon. For this chapter and others Artemis is in human form – essentially he is human (well you'll hear more about him straight off the bat). But one thing before I start the story, I have more reviews! Yay, I'm so happy! Thank you sousie (I'm happy that you like the story so much) and Silver Moon Goddess1 – nice insight…is Sergio Serena/Serenity/Usagi…you'll just have to wait and see won't you? This chapter might mix you up a little bit though…don't forget continue to review, I absolutely love hearing what you guys have to say.

**Chapter Three: The Doppelgangers**

I woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to go after last night's trip to the bathhouse. Malachite and a few of my other close bodyguards, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Artemis (whom we have nicknamed 'The Cat' not only for the ninja powers that he possess, but also because he seems to prowl around the palace, and the way that he moves is similar to that of a cat) enjoyed ourselves talking about our daily lives. It's always interesting to hear what my bodyguards say because at times they venture outside of the palace during a break to get some fresh air, or sometimes during dangerous times to get food for the kitchens. Artemis was telling us all about how during the previous day he met a very attractive woman with long wavy black hair named Luna. We all oohed and aahed over Artemis' new love interest. Nephrite decided to tease him saying things like "sounds like Artemis has got a new lady friend. I'm sure that The Cat wants to get his claws on her." We all laughed – including Artemis, although his cheeks turned bright red whenever we teased him about Luna.

"We wish you all the best with her though seriously Artemis." I had told him.

I smiled at the memory and decided that it was time to get on with my day. I did my usual morning bathroom routine and as I was finishing dressing in my business casual attire – there was a knock at my door. "Enter please." I said, looking towards the door to see who it was.

"My lord" said a man as he entered my bodyguards. I immediately recognized him from the green uniform that he wore with a red flower on one of the pockets.

"Hello Fiore, please come in." I said a bit hesitantly as he entered the room. I had always been cautious around Fiore because he had always exhibited a somewhat unnatural obsession with me. Fiore would always tell me things like "I would love to be closer with you sire. Like Malachite and all the others…I've been your employee for such a long time…" There was just something different about the way that he acted around me when compared to the other bodyguards; he just had a creepy vibe about him. But I keep him around because he is a great ninja – one of the best in the world to be honest. I acquired his services from his home country of Italy, and knew of his widely acclaimed reputation. I still to this day think that it would be unfair of me to fire Fiore just because he seems to have a slight crush on me – or maybe I'm just imagining that part. His skills are still impeccable – the only person currently in my employment who I thought could even potentially compete with Fiore in terms of level of skill would be Sergio, since I still didn't know all that Sergio could do.

"Malachite sent me in here to update you on the progress of the…" he looked to his side and growled, "the new one."

"Ah I see – so how is Sergio doing? I take it that you're helping to train him?"

"Yes I am." Fiore growled again.

"Is there something wrong Fiore?"

"Of course not my lord." Fiore said and smiled at me contently – my guess was because I was expressing concern about his well-being. "Just ignore it…I've got something in my throat."

"Ah. Well thank you for the brief report then Fiore."

"Excuse me sire, but I'm not finished yet. We have also re-started the training in case of another visit by that unpleasant woman…" Fiore said, growling again.

"You mean princess Nehellenia?"

"Yes that evil bitch." Fiore growled louder than ever, his gaze, which was still concentrated on the floor, turned into an icy glare – almost as if Nehellenia herself was there. "Please forgive my language my lord." He said, realizing that he had said the thought aloud.

"Perfectly fine Fiore, you know that I don't mind cursing much, hell I use profanity pretty often myself if you can remember."

"I know that – I just wasn't sure if you would appreciate me talking about her that way – she is after all still a member of the court your highness."

"You're right Fiore. Well thank you for all of that. You may go back to training Sergio if you would like."

"Whatever you wish your worship." Fiore said sweetly, locking eyes with me and smiling dreamily. He stood there staring for about forty seconds before I cleared my throat. "Uh Fiore?"

"Excuse me your highness." Fiore said as he bowed and hurriedly left my room.

I was about to leave the room and go find out what tasks I had to accomplish today, when there was another knock on my door. _Please let it not be Fiore again…_ "Please enter."

"Your highness." Came a familiar and more pleasant voice from the door.

I smiled, and told Sergio "come on in – and don't you remember you don't have to be so formal, you can call me Darien."

"R-right Darien." Sergio said – almost confidently as he entered the room.

"I thought that you were at training Sergio?" I asked inquisitively. _Geez he's pretty fast if he was just at training a couple seconds ago._

"Well it's break time so I thought that I'd come and see you." Sergio said happily.

"That's nice…" I said hesitantly. _Is it just me or does Sergio seem quite eager to see me today?_

"Anyway, sire Malachite also gave me your schedule for today." Sergio said, pulling out a long list of things that I had to do today which was on a scroll, and reading them off as I sat in silence. I wasn't really listening – instead I was swimming in my own thoughts. _What happened to the mystery of Sergio? His quietness and shyness seemed to have vanished. If I didn't know any better I would think that this isn't Sergio. Not to mention…_I looked Sergio up and down carefully, _he's still not wearing the uniform that we acquired for him. He's still wearing the outfit of a member of the Tsukino clan._

"By the way, Sergio – I see that you still haven't changed into your uniform." I remarked, making Sergio a bit nervous.

"Well…you see Darien. I didn't tell you this before, but it's really against family tradition for me to take off my clan outfit just yet. We're supposed to wear it for a week before donning the uniform of an employer or changing clothes for a mission."

"I see." I remarked suspiciously. "You seem to be quite chipper today as well Sergio."

"Ah – well, I'm usually not so shy and reserved Darien. You see – I'm just getting adjusted to the place, and once I'm adjusted – I'll be fine. Doesn't take me too long I guess." Sergio replied.

"If you're so comfortable, why don't you take the mask off then Sergio?"

"I told you before sire, I'm not allowed to do so."

"Not even if I order you to?"

"I can't!" Sergio shrieked, I could tell that there was even a bit of fear in his voice. "Do what you like with me Darien for not following your orders, but I cannot take off my mask or my outfit – it is against the code of the Tsukino clan." It seemed almost as if Sergio had tears in his eyes.

"Fine then. Leave my schedule here and get back to training, Malachite is probably looking for you by now."

"All right then. Goodbye for now your highness." Sergio replied in a crisp manner and then left the room, slamming the door slightly behind him. _Well I didn't mean to make him mad, but honestly all of that wasn't necessary. _I was a bit peeved at the ordeal, and decided that it was about time to leave my room. I hate being cooped up anywhere for too long, and my room – despite the fact that it was spacious and comfortable was one of the last places that I enjoyed being for long periods of time.

I grabbed the schedule and opened the door to find Sergio standing right outside of the door. _What the hell is he still doing here?_ "Yes? Anything else I can help you with Sergio?" I asked him as I stood in the doorway.

"Anything else?" Sergio repeated – he seemed to not understand what I was talking about. "I'm here on break D-D-D-D-Darien. I wanted to actually apologize for my behavior last night, and that's why I came over here. But – uh, if you tire of me, then I could leave."

"No, that's fine." I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. _Why does he seem completely oblivious as to what just happened a few seconds ago?_

"You see – in all honesty, I like taking baths at strange times, I'm embarrassed about the way that I look, and I'm a bit shy around strangers. Maybe I'd join you gentlemen after I got to know everyone better. I'd feel uncomfortable sitting in the bathhouse with you and a few other strange men…I'm sure that you get what I mean?"

"I guess so." I said, by this point I was utterly confused. "I thought that you just told me that you're getting more comfortable around me – and just being in the castle though Sergio?"

"Excuse me D-D-D-D-D-Darien, but I never said those words. I'm not yet completely comfortable with my surroundings. Although I have been getting more accustomed to this place."

"Are you just playing a trick on me or something Sergio? If so it was pretty funny – but I'd like you to stop now if possible."

"D-D-D-D-Darien I can assure you that I was never playing a prank on you, I would never do that to your highness. I should go now though, Malachite is very strict about being on time after returning from a break."

"Well you're right about that." I replied, still a bit confused. _What the hell is going on around here?_ "One more thing though Sergio…" I said interrupting him in mid sprint.

"Yes sir?"

"Why haven't you changed your uniform yet – just out of curiosity."

"Ah well, excuse me for not changing the uniform D-D-Darien, but it's against the rules of the Tsukino clan. I'm supposed to wear my outfit for a week before changing into my employer's uniform."

"I see – Sergio, have you ever told me this before?"

"No sire, I haven't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to training." Sergio left quickly, running at a nice speed. I decided that maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me, and then walked out of my room, task list in hand. I opened the scroll, expecting to find a list of tasks, but instead I find the words:

"Sergio is an imposter." Written all the way down the long scroll of parchment. _What the fuck is going on around here? _I ran to the dining hall to get my breakfast, and decided that now would be an adequate time to call in my guards and get to the bottom of this. I marched down the hallway, I really couldn't be sure if the saying on the scroll was valid or not. _I'd hate to pin this on one of my bodyguards…but Fiore was acting a bit strangely, not to mention growling at Sergio's name. Then again – Sergio was acting quite peculiar himself earlier. I really don't know what to think about all of this._

I made it to the dining hall, sat down, and was promptly greeted by one of my butlers, Greg who gave me a couple of selections for today's breakfast. "First off, you could have the scrambled eggs, with ham, cheese, and some parsley for garnish. The kitchen is also prepared to make your favorite type of pancakes – those chocolate chip ones that you've favored since you were a child, with a light homemade maple syrup."

"Thank you Greg – I'll just take them both, I'm pretty hungry this morning. A good breakfast will also help to clear my head. Just between you and me, there are some important issues that I must discuss with my bodyguards…so I would like everyone to eat – and then once the rest of the staff is done remove themselves, I want the utmost privacy."

"Whatever your majesty pleases." Greg said with a bow, then he went over to a small golden tray and grabbed a glass of orange juice.

"We all know that your highness favors orange juice in the morning, so I've already brought that here for you." He said placing the glass of orange juice in front of me.

"Thank you Greg, that was very thoughtful of you." I told him with a smile, he beamed at me. Then went to go and get the orders in for the rest of the staff.

I waited until Greg was gone, then I pulled out my whistle, which I kept hidden under my clothes most of the time. I used the whistle in emergencies for the most part – but I also used it for special gatherings, essentially any time when I really needed all of my bodyguards accounted for. This isn't any ordinary-looking whistle either, it's a very elegant and special silver whistle with the emblem of Crystal Tokyo engraved on it – a red rose. The rose stood out nicely from the silver since it was painted red and had a crisp green stem with a few darker green thorns on it. The whistle was also special in the fact that not just anyone can hear it, only a trained ninja ear can hear the sounds that come out of the whistle – think of it like a dog whistle only it's made for ninjas. I put it in my mouth and blew on it, and before I knew it all of my bodyguards were gathered around me in a protective stance, weapons drawn and ready to fight.

"Relax everyone, this is not that type of emergency. Please put away your weapons, have a seat, and let's enjoy breakfast together. Just take your time, I have a few things to discuss with you all." I told them, motioning for them to sit down and eat. Pancakes had been placed on the table in front of every chair; in front of us was also a feast of fruits, a few meats (sausage, bacon, ham), some exquisite cheese and drinks such as milk, orange juice, and water. I waited until the staff had finished eating, then sent them all away. My bodyguards were now alert, practically sitting on the edges of their seats – waiting for me to speak. "We have a problem, I'm not sure if this is a joke – or if it's real but I need to know the answer. I received this today…" I said pulling out the scroll and unfurling it, showing everyone the message. "I would like to know if the information on this scroll is true or not."

Sergio quickly stood up, "it is not my lord, I assure you." He replied, bowing a bit. "I'm the real deal."

Fiore was glaring at Sergio, his teeth bared. "Is there anything that you'd like to say Fiore?" I asked.

"…that is not the real Sergio." Fiore said, also standing up – locking eyes with Sergio, who seemed to glare at him from behind the mask. "I will be able to prove it, but the Sergio that you are looking at right now is an imposter. So yes sire, I am the one that wrote that note – but I know that it must be true because I was visited by three Sergios today, each with a different personality. One was very bubbly and cheerful, another acted in the manner that Sergio normally does – mysterious and somewhat shy, the other one just…got on my nerves, and really rubbed me the wrong way. He was impolite, just a disgrace to the name of a ninja."

"How dare you, you fucking asshole!" Sergio spat at him. "My lord, I'm the real Sergio – please believe me…I can prove it…" Sergio said, coming next to me and moving from the place where he had been sitting to come near me, he extended an arm to touch my shoulder, but Malachite quickly stepped in before he could.

"You touch him with that hand – and I can guarantee you that the next time you see it, it will be on the floor." He growled, and looked over at me through the corner of his eyes, "sire I too encountered three Sergios today. I'm still not quite too sure which one is which. But I can tell you that this one – is not him."

"I would have to agree with you on that one Malachite." A voice said from the opposite end of the room – where another Sergio was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "That Sergio is definitely an imposter – look at him…"

He was quickly interrupted by another Sergio who came bursting through the locked doors, "sorry I'm late everyone!" He said cheerfully, "also sorry about the doors your highness." Then he looked around and noticed two other Sergios standing not too far away from him, "oh shit…I mean…oops." The third Sergio said.

"You guys know what to do!" I said, and each of the Sergios was apprehended before he could make a move. The third one was squealing unhappily as he was grabbed by Artemis. The first one was shouting out curses apparently very outraged, as Malachite grabbed him roughly by the arms. Finally, the second one just stood there – he seemed to be lost in his thoughts as Fiore grabbed him, tightly gripping his arms as well. "Bring them to me…" I said and each Sergio was brought to me. "I think that I figured out an easy way of determining which Sergio is which. Now to the real Sergio I must say – excuse me for what I'm about to do."

"What will you do to them sire?" Malachite asked, making sure to have a firm grip on Sergio's arms.

"The answer is simple – take off their masks." All three Sergios seemed to have horrified looks on their faces, as if I had figured out a way to uncover their dirty little secrets.

I approached the first one, who was bucking wildly against Malachite's grip. "Don't you dare touch me! I don't care if you're king, how dare you remove my mask!"

"No need to yell…Nehellenia." I said as I removed the mask and sure enough, there was Nehellenia – she had obviously tried to disguise her voice – which had worked pretty well until she started to get worked up. It got more and more high pitched. I started to walk away from her, not wanting to be anywhere near the woman.

"So you figured me out….but you will not keep me here, and you will not keep me from having my king Malachite." Nehellenia said, and with that she did a quick move, twisting her wrists out of Malachite's grip, and prepared to lunge for me. I looked up horrified, _shit…should've have made her mad. _The next thing I knew, Nephrite had thrown a dagger – which cut some of Nehellenia's hair, then she vanished into thin air.

"Well I guess that she'll be back sometime soon. That leaves two more – I have to check you both, who knows you might all be imposters."

"Go ahead and take mine off then…" the third Sergio said unhappily.

I removed the mask to find another woman, with long straight blonde hair, a red bow was holding it all together, she had blue eyes – just like Sergio. She gave me a warm smile. She had such stunning beauty, I was amazed by her. "Hello sire, I was the one that gave you the message this morning. Please excuse me for intruding." She said, "my name is Mina Tsukino, soon to be Mina Aino."

"You're Sergio's sister?"

"Yep that'd be me. I've always been a huge fan of you – and I just wanted to meet you. Didn't want my jealous fiancé…or my little brother to know that I was around here. So I thought that maybe I could spend a bit of time with you if I came in disguise, guess that approach didn't work. But I'm very happy to meet you. If you ever need my services then, I'll be happy to oblige." She said smiling.

"You can release her Artemis."

"Thank you. My wrists were starting to hurt." She said with a smile, "well I've got to get going, thank you for meeting me though your majesty."

"My pleasure to get to meet such a nice and beautiful woman – although next time, please don't come in disguised as one of my bodyguards."

"You've got it. Good luck at your new job bro, wherever you are. Mina out!" She said – with that she vanished as well.

"Now for the last one…" I said as I removed the last one's mask. Revealed to me was a young man – who had feminine features. He had the same blue eyes and blonde hair as his sister – only his hair was cut super short in the fashion of a man. He had a definite case of mask-head (like hat hair only way worse) so his, what I would guess to be normally straight blonde hair, appeared to be wavy.

"Sorry for the confusion…D-D-D-D-Darien." He said a bit sadly.

"There's Sergio, we found him! You can release him now Fiore." Fiore still held onto him – maybe even a bit more tightly than before. "Fiore….please release Sergio."

"Oh. Excuse me my lord." He said, and released Sergio.

"I'm sorry that I had to remove your mask."

"It's fine – D-D-D-Darien, I know that there was good reason for it. I'm sure that the clan won't mind too much. I think that now that I have removed my mask – I should at least go and change into the new uniform that you gave me." He said as his stomach growled loudly.

"Uh – maybe we should get you some food first Sergio." I told him with a smile, he laughed. "Well everyone – crisis averted. If you haven't finished your breakfast I encourage you to do so. I'm going to stay here and enjoy the rest of my chocolate chip pancakes. Also, Nephrite – thank you for the wonderful job saving my life from Nehellenia."

"With pleasure sire."

"I'm going to go to the kitchen to make sure that someone gets you something to eat Sergio – we've been through quite an ordeal and it's not even lunchtime yet."

Author's endnote: Sorry for the long wait…I hope that you liked the chapter – another one will be around before the end of this month (I'm just so busy over here at my parents' house that I barely have time for myself around here, and I normally end up writing these stories early in the morning).


	4. So What Kind of Girls Do You Like?

Author's note: Back again…thanks once again sousie and Silver Moon Goddess1 as well as my newest reviewer, Megan Consoer for your reviews! I just love reading reviews! I'm so sorry about how late this is – I've been so busy and insanely tired that I really didn't have the time or the energy to write stories until about now – and now classes are starting up again. Ugh – I can't win! When I was at my parents' house they kept me busy all the time – plus we had a storm that knocked out the power for 9 hours…and the internet was out for longer. It was wonderful I can assure you (I like being sarcastic every now and then). Now that I'm finally moved into my apartment and situated, I can finally get back to writing – so I apologize for the tardiness. Just a quick note, Hotaru is supposed to be younger in this story maybe from around 6-10 years old. Also unfortunately this chapter's going to be a bit short, so I apologize for that as well. Usual disclaimer – I don't own Sailor Moon, and just like that quick and easy…to the story!

**Chapter Four: "So What Kind of Girls do you Like?"**

"Well Sergio, I've got a rather busy day of filling out papers, and preparing for the ball in a few hours." I told Sergio. It was an hour after the breakfast fiasco, and I had a lot of work to do. I had asked Sergio to take a walk with me around the Crystal Gardens of the Palace. _We should continue to get to know each other better – since he is going to be one of my primary guards. _"I've been so stressed out by Nehellenia re-appearing that I haven't done a damned thing for this ball yet. Fuck, I'm so screwed." I said – more to myself than Sergio.

"D-D-D-Darien?"

"Yes Sergio?"

"If it's not too much trouble…I think that I could be of some service in helping you with the ball."

"I wouldn't want to trouble you with that Sergio. I mean I've got the interior decorators coming over, as well as a few of the court women – they can help me handle all of this."

"Oh I see." I looked over at Sergio who was slumped over next to me; his blue eyes had filled sadness.

"But I always said the more the merrier – so if you'd like to help, then that's fine by me."

"I would love to!" Sergio squealed, "I mean – well my mother in her spare time used to be very keen on decorating. She helped plan all of the weddings that we've had so far – she's even helping to plan Mina's wedding. I kind of got into it as well when I was little; I was always fascinated by my mother's attention to detail. It also helped me to understand that just because I was going to grow up and be a ninja – it didn't mean that I had to be cruel and uncaring. My father seemed a bit aloof when I was small, so I always told myself that I wanted to be warm and friendly – the complete opposite of him. I mean don't get me wrong, he still loves all of us, he just has a different way of showing it." Sergio said, then looked over at me, "oh excuse me my lord, I didn't mean to babble like that about my family."

"No, no, Sergio – I like hearing about your family. It's nice, my parents died when I was six – my memory of them, I'm very sad to say is very minimal. Hearing about families makes me happy, more than anything. Also I'm glad that you're opening up to me, I want you to feel comfortable here Sergio. After all this is your new home."

"You're completely right D-D-D-Darien." Sergio said with a smile. We walked in the Crystal Garden for a while, until Greg ran up to the both of us.

"Your highness." He said, panting.

"Whoah, take it easy there Greg, catch your breath first."

"Thank…..you." Greg said, taking the time to catch his breath. "I just would like to tell you sire that the princesses are here."

"Wonderful – why were you in such a rush though Greg?"

"They were very adamant about seeing you sire. I did my best to oblige them."

"I see. Well, let's go Sergio – we have some lovely ladies waiting for us."

"Yes D-D-D-Darien."

"Thank you Greg for the message."

"You're welcome sire, I shall be in the kitchen requesting snacks and drinks for everyone."

With that we went our separate ways, and Sergio and I went to the ballroom, where the princesses where waiting for us. They were sitting around the ballroom, engaging each other in conversation. When they saw me they all got up and gave me a small curtsey – some more out of politeness than being happy to see me. "Thank you ladies – you don't have to do all of that though…it's not necessary." I said, as I looked at them, then turned to Sergio. "May I introduce you lovely ladies to Sergio – my newest bodyguard." A couple of the women stared at him with interest.

Without hesitation the princesses approached Sergio like he was a brand new puppy that they had received for Christmas.

"Hi my name is Princess Amy Mizuno, please call me Amy." Amy said, coming over to Sergio, she was blushing and staring down at the floor, her blue hair perfectly framing her face.

"Hello, how do you do. I'm princess Raye Hino – but you…" she said looking Sergio up and down, "can just call me Raye. I hear that you're a respected member of the Tsukino family – I've always admired the Tsukino men…their washboard abs, and their…"she started looking down towards Sergio's crotch region, "reputation of being well-endowed."

Sergio looked to me in a panic, blushing from head to toe and I just shrugged. "Uh…greetings madam." He said, bowing to her. Princess Raye decided to take it upon herself to give him a hug instead – which caused an outburst from another princess.

"Raye – you shouldn't be hanging all over king Darien's employees – it's not ladylike you know." She said, flinging her gorgeous aqua-colored hair over her shoulder. "My name is princess Michelle Kaioh. Feel free to call me Michelle if you would like." Then she glanced over at me, "why hello again my king." She purred flirtatiously and gave me a wink.

A growl erupted from the other side of the room – where a princess that I hadn't noticed before was standing. I knew that there was only one person who would go into somewhat of a jealous rage when it came to Michelle – and just as I suspected, I spotted princess Amara in the corner of the room. A shadow was over her face. "Michelle you shouldn't flirt with a man that you're not involved with. It might give him the wrong idea." She said – coming out from the shadows, her arms were crossed, and she was sneering at me – obviously unhappy that she came with Michelle to help me decorate for the ball.

"Lovely to see you too Amara." I said smiling at her, she just glared at me, then turned her head. Amara is Michelle's girlfriend – they are very close, and Amara tends to get very jealous. She and I don't always get along because she thinks that I'm trying to steal Michelle away – which I'm not, no interest in her even though she's a beautiful woman with class to spare.

"Hmph" was all she said as she walked away from my vicinity, she took a quick glance at Sergio to see what the fuss was all about – staring at him for a brief moment, then looking away.

Finally, another Princess – whom I knew to be Raye's shy little sister approached Sergio, gave him a small curtsey and smiled brightly up at him. She opened her mouth to say something – but no words came out. "Go ahead Hotaru – say hello." Raye encouraged her sister. Hotaru just stared at Sergio, then ran away smiling, and hiding behind Raye. "She must think that you're cute – what can I say…little kids."

"I'm not a little kid! I'm a young lady." Hotaru said, still hiding behind her elder sister.

"Of course you are sweetie." Raye said, "sorry Darien – I had to look after her today, since the baby sitters are all on vacation this week for some odd reason."

"I understand." I smiled at her, "how are you doing today Hotaru?"

"I'm fine." She said, staring at me, Hotaru was still a bit scared of me despite the fact that she had known me since the day that she was born. Amy had been exactly like her when she was little, but after Amy's sixteenth birthday she seemed to come out of her shell. I hoped that the same was true for Hotaru.

"So cutie – what kind of girls do you normally like?" Raye said to Sergio, coming closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Um…girls? Well…I uh…" Sergio said – he was completely red in the face.

"Well duh…of course unless you're gay or something…then please forgive me! Damn it why do I always fall for men that I can't have?"

"Girls…I don't really have a preference." Sergio said nervously.

"Intriguing…well am I…" Raye said, pressing her breasts against Sergio's chest, smiling "your type?"

Sergio gulped, "my lady…"

"Raye…" she said smiling.

"R-R-R-Raye…."

"Oh how cute, he's so nervous he's stuttering. I've got this one in the bag."

All I could do was look at them and sigh to myself, once Raye got her claws on someone – it was hard to get her off of them. Almost impossible, and as much as I wanted to help Sergio – it wouldn't be an easy task that I could help him with anytime soon.

"I don't mean to…offend you or anything…but my heart already belongs to someone…" Sergio said

"Fuck!" Raye exclaimed, "see just like I said, I always fall for men that I can't have."

"I'm sorry R-R-R-R-Raye, but you're a very attractive woman…" Sergio stammered.

"Really? Well that bitch will be history once you get to know me." Raye purred, once again all over Sergio, her lips nearing Sergio's, and Sergio staring nervously at Raye.

"Ahem." I said, deciding that now would be the best time to save Sergio from Raye's claws, "I think that the interior decorator should be here sometime soon." Almost right on cue, Trista entered the ballroom.

"Sorry I'm late – I got here as quickly as I could."

"Just in time. Everyone this is Trista – our interior decorator who will help us with all of the decorations."

"Hi everyone." Trista said, giving all of us a bright smile and bowing to everyone in the room.

"Thank you Trista, now I'm going to have to call in Lita so that way we can decide on the menu."

"I'm already here your majesty." Lita said as she walked into the room with a graceful curtsey. "I have a few ideas for the menu that I'd like to go over with all of you, but I would like to let Trista do her thing first. I like the food to go along with the ambiance of the room, and I know that your royal highness also enjoys that idea since we discussed it previously."

"Yes Lita, excellent idea. Well why don't you stick around while Trista, the princesses, Sergio, and I figure out what to do with this room. I'm sure that the kitchens don't need their head chef to supervise them right now." She smiled at me, a light blush crept onto her face which didn't go unnoticed by Michelle, I could tell by the look in her eye.

"So Darien, where should we get started?" She asked matter-o-factly. "Do you have any color swatches that we can see Trista, or did you pick out the colors already?"

"Actually I already have something in mind – a theme, I brought some color swatches as well to show you what I had in mind. I really wanted the theme to be moonlit rose romance. The colors would mostly revolve around different shades of red, however I also wanted to lighten up the room with silver tones – maybe with a hint of a light blue to really show the blue off." Trista then proceeded to pull out a few swatches, mostly consisting of a few deep reds, along with a couple bright ones. Two swatches with two different silvers – one a bit darker than the other; finally she pulled out some swatches of various light blues.

"That sounds wonderful!" Raye squealed, pressing her body closer to Sergio's while the other ladies crowded around Trista.

"Raye…why don't you come and look at some of the swatches that Trista has brought – we need your opinion, especially since you do love the color red." Amara commented sourly, as she gazed at Sergio – unsure as of yet what to make of him. Immediately Raye joined the crowded pack of women to get to the color swatches.

While they surrounded the table looking, I heard murmurs consisting of things like "ooh this one is so pretty!" Followed by "I don't know if I like this one" or "this one is gorgeous…but what do I have to wear that will make me go with the theme?" Unfortunately I couldn't get in close enough to see the swatches partially due to the fact that the ladies were all over the table – and despite my height I could barely see any slivers of color swatches, also I was warry of getting too close to Amara – who would occasionally look up from the table and give me a glare. Amy, of course being the most considerate of all the princesses, would occasionally arise from the jumbles of cloth all over the table – and pull a few out to show me. _I guess that Trista brought more than just swatches._

"What do you think of this one?" She would ask – holding out one arms length for me to see.

"Whatever you lovely ladies pick is fine with me. I'm not necessarily the person to ask about these things." I told her with a smile, despite the fact that I wanted to be involved in all of this, there wasn't really much that I could do in terms of deciding colors for the ball. I would often leave that up to the ladies – as per usual. "But maybe you should ask Sergio his opinion on the different colors." I said, looking in Sergio's direction.

Sergio looked relieved, standing away from the group of color-crazed women a few feet away from me. Amy decided to shyly walk over to him, long pieces of cloth trailing behind her. He looked surprised to see that Amy was approaching him, and a bit more relieved that it was her instead of Raye.

Author's end note: Sorry to end this at such an awkward place (promise it won't happen again) but I have some work to do…so I'm really sorry! But I must get back to homework despite the fact that my creative juices are flowing. Thanks for being so patient, and I promise that I will get the next chapter out soon.


	5. Author's Note

Hey all - I'd like for everyone to know that no I have no died (nor have I abandoned my stories, I love them too much to do that). Unfortunately I have become insanely busy over the past weeks (I've been having midterms and things such as that). Luckily this weekend is fall break, which means that I'll be able to catch up to where I was before in the stories. So I owe you guys a lot, thanks for sticking with me despite all of this busyness (it was a lot easier during the summer but you all understand). I promise that I will have fresh chapters for you soon! I love you all!

Cami


	6. Dear Readers Author's Note 2

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

I am so sorry that I have been keeping you guys waiting for a new chapter for my stories but I have had a few events in my life that have been holding me back from getting to the computer and writing. My future mother in law was battling with cancer from late 2007 until around March of this year – when she, bless her heart – beat her cancer and is a proud survivor. It was a very hard time for my fiancé and our family (which will soon become one), especially to see her in the state that she was in (my father had cancer when I was younger as well, and he was able to survive it so it's nice to know that we have a strong family). I also had a huge course load last semester (not to mention being pledge master for my co-ed theatre fraternity), and now as a senior in college I've been able to free up my time, meaning that I will finally be able to continue and then finish my stories. I apologize to keep all of you waiting and I hope that you can forgive me. Just please forgive me if I drift every once in a while – I'm still in the midst of planning my wedding (which is next year).

Thank you for bearing with me,

Mangaluva09


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